Tuesdays with Mary

Tuesday, February 13, 2024 I’ve been thinking about our courts, their workload and decisions, their continuing to function at a time when some other branches of government noticeably are not. I’m willing to bet that everyone reading this has at least one major issue of displeasure with a Supreme Court decision. If you’re like me, there might even be a decision or two you vehemently disagree with. And that’s OK. If we lived someplace where I was in agreement with everything they said, did, thought and wrote – my guess is that wouldn’t be a place some of you would [...]

Tuesday, February 6, 2024 I’ve been thinking about how amazing it is to be an American citizen. Especially the unique opportunities citizenship in a democracy affords every one of us. By now you know that colleague Elizabeth and I went to SCOTUS recently, to report on the Chevron doctrine cases heard during oral arguments. Those cases are hugely relevant to our business, and we will continue our coverage through the issuance of the court’s opinion and beyond. But since we have some time before then, I wanted to share what it’s like to witness all the sights and sounds during [...]

Tuesday, January 30, 2024 Ever since our coverage from SCOTUS on Jan 17th, I’ve been thinking about my dad.  When I was younger and still full of obstinate ambition, I declared to him that one day “I’m going to sit on the Supreme Court.” His response? Simply and approvingly, “I’ll be there.” You would have liked my dad, and he you. He would have thrived in the title business; his off-the-charts IQ would have loved the challenge of it. Instead, he chose to become a teacher and then later to work with his hands. He preferred to work at night, [...]

Tuesday, January 23, 2024 I’ve been thinking about resolutions. Maybe you have, too. It’s the time of year when many are working on our personal New Year’s resolutions in addition to work and personal goals for the year. If I’m being honest, I’ve skipped making New Year’s resolutions for several years. Or maybe I’ve just resolved to have no resolutions. You would not have found me at the gym for the first three days of January, desperately trying to force myself into a radical life change. Though there have been years in the past I joined that crowd. I’m still [...]

Tuesday, January 16, 2024 I’ve been thinking about professional goals and accomplishments. The first draft of that opening sentence came out as I’ve been thinking about professional accomplishments. But besides only being half of the story, it also has the unfortunate quality of placing the cart in front of the horse. To have the professional accomplishments you hope for, you first must define the professional goals that will please you. Otherwise, you will have accomplishments, but not necessarily the ones you’d prefer. Goals can be tricky things. Sometimes we are too busy to sit down and curate our minds, to [...]

Tuesday, January 9, 2024 I’ve been thinking about technology and our industry’s interesting relationship with it. There’s long been a natural tension between providers of software and the producers of products in our space including loans, title commitments, appraisals, and closings.  It’s a culture clash, really. Technologists love to live by the phrase “move fast and break things,” while producers of financial products prefer to “go slow and build things.” Technologists believe in implementing quickly, then incrementally adjusting on the fly. Producers are more in the camp of making sure the boat is entirely seaworthy, in any foreseeable scenario, and [...]

Tuesday, December 26, 2023 I’ve been thinking about SCOTUS again. I mentioned a few weeks ago the Loper Bright Enterprises case, which if you missed it, that blog post can be found here. Oral arguments are scheduled for January, and of course October Research will bring you coverage. We got a surprise recently, when another companion case was added to the oral argument calendar for the same day. Let’s spend a little time getting to know that case. Relentless, Inc vs. Department of Commerce will be heard the same day as Loper Bright. In Relentless (which is kind of a [...]

Tuesday, December 19, 2023 I’ve been thinking about the economy and the housing market.  Recent news that the Fed signaled they’re probably done raising interest rates, combined with a lack of affordable inventory, plus an incredibly low unemployment rate and some banks signaling an interest in selling off some underperforming debts, and oh yes, the bond yield rate dropping 11 points to under 5 percent, equals…who knows? What interesting times we live in. I’m far from the first person to wonder how we will have a recovery that isn’t led by the housing market. We’re quite accustomed to real estate [...]

Tuesday, December 12, 2023 I’ve been thinking about conspicuous fees and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). What is a conspicuous fee? Well, one way to look at it is that a conspicuous fee is the opposite of a hidden junk fee. Are fees for your services conspicuous and delightful or are they hidden and junk? How would you know? Whose definition are we using? Queue a new proposed rule being offered by the FTC. We’re in a comment period running until Jan. 8, 2024, for the FTC’s proposed rulemaking entitled “Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees.” If you’re involved in [...]

Tuesday, December 5, 2023 I’ve been thinking about measuring our businesses for effective 2024 budgeting. As we close out 2023 and set our eyes for what will hopefully be a more traditional market sooner rather than later, it might be time to rebalance some expenses. Knowing how to adjust those dials might make a big difference in how your Q1 balance sheet fares. In order to get the most out of your budgeting process, investing in a few hours of research can yield a huge benefit. While you might be able to quote quite accurate percentages and ratios in “normal” [...]